22.02.2023 ICWC on tour: Course "Criminal Law and Justice" at Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia

From February 13 to 17, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Bock, Executive Director of the ICWC, and Alexander Benz, Research Fellow at the Centre, offered a one-week course on "Criminal Law and Justice" at the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia in Phnom Penh within the framework of the Erasmus Teaching Mobility, thus continuing the close cooperation of the ICWC with Cambodian partner institutions that has existed for many years.

The seminar was attended by about 30 bachelor and master students of Paññāsāstra University, who actively participated and discussed. The curriculum focused on the four Core Crimes of International Criminal Law - genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression - as well as the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in addressing past injustices. "Especially against the background of the current dissolution of the ECCC, it is central to talk about how Cambodians perceive the criminal justice reappraisal by the court", says Alexander Benz and continues: "The view of Cambodian students on current developments in international criminal law is an enriching expansion of our own horizons. Intercultural exchange, especially in this field, is essential."

In addition to teaching, discussions with representatives of Paññāsāstra University about the future expansion of the cooperation were the focus of the trip. This also includes the return visit of Cambodian lecturers to the ICWC and possible teaching activities within the framework of the master's program "International Criminal Justice: Law, History, Politics".